as in to brace
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
I have to psych myself up before every swimming competition
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in soul
an immaterial force within a human being thought to give the body life, energy, and power
disturbing, enigmatic paintings that seem to embody the psyche of this brilliant but troubled artist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mind
the part of a person that feels, thinks, perceives, wills, and especially reasons
a novel that explores the psyche of a depressed teen
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of psych (up)
Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Just the power of this town is incredibly immense, and the ability to tell a story that reaches so far into the psyche and hearts of America.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Moist didn’t always inhabit such a precarious position in our psyche.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
The sneak peek also gave a glimpse into the world and psyche of Digger, who is grumpy toward everyone except his elderly pet cat.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for psych (up)
Noun
There is a scene in the big-budget biopic Michael that perfectly encapsulates Michael Jackson’s historically unfathomable fame and crushing, fragile psyche.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Just the power of this town is incredibly immense, and the ability to tell a story that reaches so far into the psyche and hearts of America.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Moist didn’t always inhabit such a precarious position in our psyche.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
The sneak peek also gave a glimpse into the world and psyche of Digger, who is grumpy toward everyone except his elderly pet cat.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for psych (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for psych (up)
Verb
-
On April 14th, as Kyiv braced for a round of Russian strikes, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, was seven hundred and fifty miles away, in Berlin, forging a defense agreement with Germany, part of a tour of European allies to raise support for military aid.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But as the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season nears, many Floridians are bracing for the storm, and that includes buying a hurricane preparedness kit, getting the hurricane shutters out of the garage, and/or devising what to do with your car.—
Jennifer Sangalang,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Both spring from some primordial, paradoxical desire to see oneself and to lose oneself — to be acknowledged by the vast universe as something singular with meaning and purpose, and also to merge with that vastness, to overflow the constraints of one tiny body, one narrow soul.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Pajak’s Sam must drive home the lesson that the real vampires are those creatures who try to steal your true soul — your individuality.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Carly loves playing hostess, and designs interiors above all with socializing in mind—the conversation pit is one of her favorite midcentury tropes.—
Olivia Kan-Sperling,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
Andrillon warned against trying to harness the sleeping mind in the service of the waking world.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Though the depth is fortified on offense, the defense hampered the Bears most last season.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
What fortifies it the most is an appearance from Williams’ grandfather midway through the song.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
For the cover of the May 11 & 18, 2026, special issue, themed around America’s 250th birthday, the cartoonist Barry Blitt portrays George Washington, the country’s first President, caught in the spirit of the moment.—
Françoise Mouly,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Mayor Mamdani was elected with that spirit at the center of his agenda.—
Jonathan Timm,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Hall had a 1% chance of survival when he was born four months premature at just 23 weeks gestation, born without a heartbeat and suffering from a brain bleed.—
Jackson Thompson OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Hernandez, whose death was ruled a suicide, was later determined to have had CTE and early brain atrophy.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Inside the nearly empty Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA last Monday afternoon, the air rumbles and judders and roars like a B-52 engine readying for takeoff.—
Erik Pedersen,
Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
And across the street from Hyde Park Academy, construction crews swarmed to ready the Obama Presidential Center behemoth for its Juneteenth opening date.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The reason, an official with knowledge of the meeting plans said, is because King Charles is a head of state, rather than a head of government.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Matt Small, who is in his first season as Lincoln-Way Central’s head coach, was an assistant at Homewood-Flossmoor.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Psych (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/psych%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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